Agenda Honors WH I

Chapter 1 Foundations of Civilization : Prehistory–300 B.C.

Section 1 Understanding Our Past

Terms, People, and Places

prehistory

historian

artifact

anthropology

culture

archaeology

Mary Leakey

Louis Leakey

Olduvai Gorge

technology

Donald Johanson

Note Taking

Checkpoint (3 in section)

What kinds of evidence do historians use to study the past?

What types of evidence do anthropologists and archaeologists study to learn about prehistory?

What have anthropologists learned about the use of tools during prehistory?

Biography

Louis Leakey

Louis Leakey (1903–1972) was born in Kenya, where his English parents lived with the Kikuyu people. Leakey was initiated as a Kikuyu warrior at age 13 and continued to speak the Kikuyu language for many years after leaving Kenya. Leakey moved to England to attend Cambridge University, where he studied anthropology. Afterward, he returned to East Africa to search for the remains of early humans. He and his wife, Mary, found many tools, bones, and other artifacts. In later life, he traveled all over the world, lecturing and raising funds for new research projects. Leakey’s enthusiasm inspired a generation of anthropologists. Why might someone devote his or her life to studying early humans?

Mary Leakey

Mary Leakey (1913–1996) was born in London, England. During her childhood, she traveled throughout Europe and visited numerous prehistoric sites, which increased her interest in the fields of archaeology and geology. Because of her natural artistic talent, Leakey began working as an illustrator at archaeological sites during her teenage years. In particular, she focused on drawing Stone Age tools. Through this work, she met Louis Leakey, whom she married in 1936. Together they spent 30 years digging for early humans in East Africa. Mary Leakey found many remains that have become key to our understanding of early hominids. How did Mary Leakey become interested in studying the ancient past?

HW
SECTION 1 Assessment

Reading Skill: Summarize

2. Use your completed concept web and table to answer the Focus Question: What have scholars learned about the ancestors of humans, and how have they done so?

Comprehension and Critical Thinking

Express Problems Clearly

3. What types of obstacles do historians have to overcome to give a straightforward account of events? How do you think they might do this?

Analyze Information

4. In what ways do archaeologists work with new technologies and other scholars in their work?

Synthesize Information

5. Describe the story that anthropologists think the bones and tools they have discovered reveal about prehistory. Hint

EC
Writing About History
Quick Write: Explore a Topic